1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for encasing a product in a curved casing, and more particularly to such an apparatus which is relatively inexpensive to construct and maintain, and which further may be successfully utilized in combination with prior art product encasing machines to produce a curved product having a commercially acceptable quality not possible heretofore by utilizing the same prior art devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Product encasing machines of various configurations, capacities and other operational characteristics have been known and utilized for many years. In their most common form, which is illustrated most clearly by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,001, the product encasing machine includes a base member which movably supports a feedhorn assembly which is disposed in fluid flow communication with a pump assembly and which pumps meat batter, under pressure, into the feedhorn assembly. Further, a casing feeding mechanism is mounted on the base and is adapted to advantageously position a supply of empty product casings in substantially coaxial alignment with the feedhorn assembly. A rotatable chuck assembly is positioned in a fixed, predetermined position on the base and is adapted to receive each of the casings to be filled, and which further is adapted to be rotated in substantially coordinated relation with the feedhorn assembly in order to produce linked casing products. The precise operation of a product encasing machine is set forth in significant detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,001 and therefore for the sake of brevity is not repeated herein.
While it is well understood that the utilization of these prior art product encasing machines achieve numerous laudable results, the devices, however, suffer from a multiplicity of common drawbacks which have detracted from their usefulness. For example, nearly all of the prior art devices employ, in one form or another, a feedhorn assembly which is adapted to be positioned internally of the casing such that it can deliver meat batter which is pumped under pressure into the casing to be filled. While this arrangement usually works with some degree of success, the prior art devices have a common shortcoming in that they may under certain operational conditions create in the linked products an undesirable effect called "smear" which is caused by a breakdown of fat particles or fat cells in the meat batter. It has been determined that the breakdown of the fat particles or cells is caused by the excessive mechanical action of the meat pump acting upon the meat batter. Under assorted operational circumstances which include the type of meat batter employed, and the type of fat present, the mechanical action of forcing the meat batter into the feedhorn assembly can cause some types of soft fat to melt or the distortion of the size and shape of hard types of fat. Further, and if the mechanical action is severe, fat cells can be ruptured, thereby increasing their respective surface areas.
The presence of smear is not desirable inasmuch as the linked products, and more particularly the fat particles, do not acquire a desirable color as a result of going through the smoking process following the manufacture thereof. As a consequence, linked products having a noticeable amount of smear do not acquire a commercially attractive color.
Furthermore, the amount of smear may be increased by the effect of friction which results as a consequence of pumping the meat batter through the feedhorn assembly and into a dry product casing.
Still another significant problem associated with the prior art product encasing machines and their related subassemblies results from characteristics inherent in their individual designs. For example, many of the prior art devices such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,001 have difficulty producing encased products utilizing curved casings. More particularly, these encasing machines have problems completely filling the curved casings thereby substantially eliminating all the air spaces in the casings. It should be understood that air spaces in the casings may also cause the individual encased products to have a commercially undesirable color and appearance following the smoking process.
Therefore, it has long been known that it would be desirable to have an apparatus for encasing a product in a curved casing and which is adapted to enhance the performance of a product encasing machine or the like by producing a curved product as intended during the operation thereof, which is adapted to be constructed as an operable part of a product encasing machine during manufacture, or retrofitted on existing product encasing machines, and which further is adapted to produce an encased product having an acceptable amount of smear and substantially no air spaces such that the encased products have a commercially acceptable color following the smoking process.